Stark County Sheriff George Maier announces 2024 reelection bid

CANTON ‒ Stark County Sheriff George T. Maier will seek reelection next year.

The 63-year-old Massillon resident has been the county's chief law enforcement officer since 2013. He was appointed after fellow Democrat Michael McDonald, who won in the 2012 general election, became too ill to take office in 2013, and later died.

Maier was subsequently elected in 2014 over Republican opponent Lawrence A. Dordea, a former Hartville police chief. He was reelected without opposition in 2016 and 2020.

In an announcement of his reelection bid, Maier said that under his guidance, Stark County has witnessed strides in addiction recovery and mental health priorities through initiatives like the Stark Adult Recovery Program operated in the county jail.

"This program, in its first year, has achieved a significant reduction in recidivism at just 16%," he said in a prepared statement. "This has a direct impact on the safety of communities by ensuring those committing crimes to sustain addictions receive adequate rehabilitation to ensure they are productive citizens upon release."

He said the program is also an extension of his commitment to keeping dangerous drugs out of neighborhoods and reducing violent crime across the county.

November 2014: Maier narrowly ahead of Dordea for sheriff

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Stark County Sheriff George Maier announces plan to seek reelection